Duarte, Turner lead Pacers over Knicks 122-102

Dec 9, 2021, 03:55 am

INDIANAPOLIS -- — Chris Duarte scored 23 points, Myles Turner had 22 and the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks 122-102 Wednesday night.

Duarte, a rookie shooting guard, eclipsed his 13.1-point scoring average with 14 in the first quarter, when the Pacers seized control with a 15-2 run. Indiana outscored New York in each of the first three quarters to lead 96-76 and mainatined a double-digit lead from midway through the second quarter until the final buzzer.

“We need to win our fans over and get more people back in the building,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “That’s important to us.”

The struggling Pacers began the night tied with the Detroit Pistons for last in attendance at 13,137 per game. Team management recently met with players to discuss speculative reports about shaking up the roster.

“My name is in a trade rumor every day,” Turner said. “That’s just part of the business.”

The Pacers shot 60% (27 of 45) in the first half. The Knicks shot 47.7% (21 of 44).

Each of the Pacers starters scored in double figures, with Malcolm Brogdon getting 16 points and Caris LeVert 15. Duarte and LeVert each had six assists.

Domantas Sabonis had 21 points and 11 rebounds. His league-leading 20 double-doubles is one more than Jonas Valanciunas of New Orleans.

RJ Barrett led the Knicks with 19 points. Julius Randle had 18 points and eight rebounds. Alec Burks scored 15 and Obi Toppin 13.

“It’s frustrating, but we’ve got to keep moving forward,” Randle said. “It’s just our focus. I think everybody was a little drained. We’ve just got to be mentally tougher to overcome that.”

The Knicks were playing on the road on back-to-back nights after a win at San Antonio on Tuesday. The Pacers had the benefit of one day of rest.

“You just have to have the toughness to get things done,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “You’re not going to feel your best every night in this league. That’s part of it.”

TIP-INS

Knicks: Toppin made a second-quarter breakaway look like a dunk contest try. While in mid-air, he rotated the ball from his left hand to his right and between his legs before throwing down the slam. ... Randle and Barrett scored 18 of the team’s first 31 points. ... Dropped to 7-5 on the road.

Pacers: Sabonis was floored after taking Randle's elbow to the throat in the second quarter. A review upheld no call. ... Scored 70 first-half points for the fifth time this season. ... Improved to 8-6 at home.

UP NEXT

Knicks: At Toronto on Friday night.

Pacers: Host Dallas on Friday night.

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